Age From The Buyer's Perspective

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From your perspective, your home has grown with you over time, standing with you through all of the major milestones in your life and evolving with your own lifestyle. That evolution might be seen through the changes in the interior design of your home. It might be seen in a new addition or new renovation to the property.

However, how will a prospective buyer view the advanced age of your property? Will they see the love and care you've put into your property or will they see the way age has affected the exterior of your property? Will they see a well-decorated property with the feeling of home that you feel or will they see chips in the paint and a crack in the foundation?

As with any step in the real estate process, having the answers a prospective buyer is looking for before the buyer asks will help you convey a sense of professionalism and preparation in your home sale. As a buyer sees your home, perhaps a property that was built in the 1950s, they will of course have that in mind as they look through the state of the home.

The best thing you can do as a seller of the property is keep that in mind when you construct your marketing materials and formulate a strategy for talking to a prospective buyer. When a potential buyer goes through the process of determining whether a home is right or not, they will want to know how age has affected the property. More concretely, they want to know how long the home will last and what kind of care it might need in the future.

While your word might be good enough for your friends and family, it's probably not going to be good enough for a potential buyer. Yes, you can claim that your home might last another 20 years but without some kind of proof, a potential buyer will disregard your claim as mere marketing fluff to convince someone to buy the property.

To get some proof for your claim, contact a licensed contractor to look at some critical portions of your property that might draw the interest of a prospective buyer concerned about the age of a home. Common things to look at include the roof, furnace, foundation and ventilation system for the property. By getting a contractor to look at these pieces of your home before buyers come through, you can include their estimates in your marketing materials.

These estimates will include the duration each part of the home will last as well as what might have to be done to each component as the home ages further. It might surprise a buyer to know that your home built in 1942 has a longer projection than another one down the street built in 1980. Without the effort put in to find these estimates, a buyer would have never guessed that to be the case.

Anything you can do to give accurate information backed up by evidence to a prospective buyer that makes your home look like a better fit will ultimately help you sell the property quicker and for the price you aim for. While you may think that the beauty of your home might speak for itself, it can never hurt to put additional information in the buyer's hands. The goal is to help a buyer see your home in the same light you do.

As your home ages, you will see the gradual morphing of your home through the various stages of your life. A potential buyer will see a 20 year old furnace in a home that has a roof that needs to be inspected. Allay those fears with professional estimates and you will go along towards helping a buyer feel as comfortable with your home as you do.

This is another original article by Joe Lane, co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team at http://www.joelane.com/. Are you looking for an experienced Tri City WA Real Estate agency? With 20 years of service based, business experience, Joe and Colleen Lane work hard to serve home buyers and sellers for the Tri Cities of Washington's Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, and surrounding areas.